They ordered the Harper government to permit the Military Police Complaints Commission to hold hearings on the issue of Afghan detainee treatment and their transfers by the military to the Afghans. The Harper government has fought that process at every turn, attempting to sweep this scrutiny under the rug. Other nations are examining their processes and wrestling publicly with their involvement in conflicts that have posed serious challenges to the application of the law by military personnel in Afghanistan, Iraq. Why Canada cannot is a mystery.

The Federal Court is clearly holding the Harper government to account for its international failures. They are providing an absolutely necessary and important check on this legally challenged government we have on our hands.